Major discipline · 2024[1]
Suspended 86 days- Rank as reported
- chief
- Sustained charge(s)
- Violation of dating policy and knowledge of laws and regulations
- Separated while IA pending
- No
Plain-language summary (this site, from the cited record only)
Darren McConnell was Chief of Police in Red Bank between December 2013 and February 2024. Chief McConnell maintained a dating relationship with a subordinate officer and failed to report it to the Borough as required by local rules. The New Jersey Attorney General's Office found that McConnell improperly managed internal affairs investigations, delaying the closing of certain matters beyond the 45 days allowed by policy, which benefited the subordinate officer. The record lists an 86 day suspension, and McConnell agreed to forfeit four months of accrued leave.
Synopsis as reported by the agency
Darren McConnell was Chief of Police in Red Bank between December 2013 and February 2024. During that time, Chief McConnell became involved in and maintained a dating relationship with a subordinate law enforcement officer in the borough. Sometime in the early to mid-part of 2023, Red Bank PBA Local #39 members became increasingly concerned about there being preferential treatment given to specific officers, one in particular being the subordinate officer who was in the dating relationship with Chief McConnell. The PBA's concerns were ultimately brought to the attention of the New Jersey Attorney General's Office. As a result of their investigation, the New Jersey Attorney General's Office found that Chief McConnell failed to report his relationship with the female subordinate officer to the Borough as required by local rules. Also uncovered were internal affair investigations that were improperly managed by Chief McConnell, where he specifically delayed or held the closing of certain investigations longer than the 45-days that is allowed by policy. By delaying these investigations in such a manner, the subordinate law enforcement officer in question benefited from this because she could no longer be disciplined due to there being a violation of the 45-day rule. Due to McConnell’s failure to notify the Borough of Red Bank about his dating relationship with a subordinate officer, failure to learn and apply the 45-day rule consistent with N.J.S.A. 40A:14-118 and the New Jersey Internal Affairs Policies and Procedures, McConnell agreed to a penalty of forfeiture of four months of accrued time from his sick and vacation leave bank. plead guilty and took a plea for 4 months of accrued time from sick and vacation time